Police searched late into the night for the gunman who opened fire on a Brooklyn subway Tuesday, an attack that left 10 people shot and once again disrupted New York City’s long journey back to normalcy. post-pandemic.
The search focused in part on a man who police say rented a van possibly connected to the violence.
Investigators stressed that they were not sure if the man, 62-year-old Frank R. James, was responsible for the shooting. But authorities were examining social media videos apparently made by James, some of which mention the city’s mayor, Eric Adams.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell called the posts “concerning” and officials tightened security for Adams.
The gunman detonated smoke grenades in a crowded subway car and then fired at least 33 shots from a 9mm pistol, police said. Five shooting victims were in critical condition but expected to survive. At least a dozen people were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries.
The passengers cried and prayed
One passenger, Jordan Javier, thought the first popping sound he heard was a book falling. Then there was another bang, people started moving to the front of the car and realized there was smoke, he said.
When the train pulled into the station, people ran out and were directed to another train on the other side of the platform. Passengers cried and prayed as they drove away, Javier said.
“I am grateful to be alive,” he said.
The shooter fled in the chaos, leaving behind the gun, extended magazines, an axe, detonated and unexploded smoke grenades, a black trash can, a rolling cart, gasoline and a U-Haul truck key.
Scenes of chaos erupted aboard a Brooklyn subway train during rush hour Tuesday morning after a gunman opened fire and detonated a smoke canister, injuring at least two dozen people. 3:09
That key led investigators to James, who has addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, Detective Chief James Essig said. The van was later found unoccupied near a subway station where investigators determined the shooter had entered the train system, Essig said.
The rambling and profanity-filled YouTube videos apparently posted by James, who is black, are filled with violent language and bigoted comments, some against other black people.
One video, posted on April 11, criticizes crime against Black people and says drastic action is needed.
A February 20 video says the mayor and governor’s plan to address homelessness and safety in the underground system “is doomed to fail” and refers to himself as a “victim” of health programs city mind. A video from January 25 criticizes Adams’ plan to end gun violence.
Adams, who is isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual.”
Reference-www.cbc.ca